Massage Therapy is an art that has been practiced from remote times, it is a modality of physical medicine, it is a way of recovering the health and maintaining the balance of vital energy, and to activate the bodies healing forces. Massage is an energy interchange, it is a conduct to resume the contact with the innermost self in all the levels of physical, organic, skeletal, muscular, psychological, emotional, spiritual and social being to all who respect it like a sacred and delicate entity.
The language of touch is universal to humankind. Therapeutic massage is known to improve muscle tone and joint mobility. Massage enhances circulation of blood and lymph; lowers blood pressure; calms the nervous system and reduces stress. It helps people in creating a more positive self-image. Many people unconsciously rub a pain or an ache, instinctively stroke a bruise, and use touch in healing without thinking about it.
The medical text the “Nei Ching” written by the Yellow Emperor 3,000 years ago recommended massage to activate circulation to alleviate the lack of sensation, the ancient Hindus, Persians and Egyptians applied forms of massage for many ailments. In ancient Rome, Julius Cesar who suffered from neuralgia and headaches received a daily massage. To prepare the gladiators for combat and to treat their injuries, Galen, the Roman Emperor’s physician, prescribed massage. Today, the French physician Ambrose Pare, who established the credibility of massage amongst the medical profession, has revived interest in massage therapy.
The Benefits of Holistic Massage Therapy
As an accepted part of many physical rehabilitation programs, massage therapy has also proven beneficial for many chronic conditions, including low back pain, arthritis, bursitis, fatigue, high blood pressure, diabetes, immunity suppression, infertility, smoking cessation, depression, and more. And, as many millions will attest, massage also helps relieve the stress and tension of everyday living that can lead to disease and illness.
Therapeutic massage has an enormous impact on all the systems of the body can be an important part of a personal health and fitness program. Massage has powerful healing qualities that can help counteract the debilitating effects of the twin nemeses of modern life(the static use and overuse of our bodies) by mobilizing the body’s resources. Regular massage, in combination with exercise and good nutrition can be a wonderful way to maintain great health, because it primarily affects the body as a whole.
Benefits of Massage to the various body systems:
Nervous System: Stimulates sensory receptors and the parasympathetic nervous system. Powerful sedative effect on the nerves, headaches can be relieved; patterns of insomnia broken and states of anger, impatience and irritation are soothed.
The Integumentary System: The skin also benefits from massage that improves circulation, increase nutrition to the cells, and activate sweat glands to produce sweat, enhancing excretion and waste products through the skin, stimulating vasodilatation of the surface capillaries, improving the color and elasticity of skin and sebum production which helps to improve the skin suppleness and resistance to infection.
Muscular System: Reduce muscle tension, stiffness, and spasm, increase flexibility, range of motion, improve posture, muscular aches and pain, and fatigue. Remove of toxins and waste products allow for easier and smoother muscle performance. Cramps are reduced; old scar tissue broken down and good muscle tone and balance can be induced.
Skeletal System: Disorders such as arthritis benefit extremely from massage, promoting joint mobility through a reduction of any thickening of the ligaments and helping to release restrictions in the fascia or sheet of connective tissue below the skin. Stiffness of the joints is alleviating, and it helps to free adhesions, an abnormal connection between two muscles. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other repetitive motion disorders and pain can be reduced considerably.
Circulatory System: Flow of blood is increased throughout the body –most massage strokes are directed towards the heart-making this action fresher blood brings and increase in the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to body cell tissues. For this reason, more metabolic waste products are removed from the body tissues reducing the risk of lactic acidosis and muscular pain.
Lymphatic System: Removal of excess fluid from the body tissues or “lymphatic drainage” occurs during massage because the lymphatic system does not have a pump to remove fluid as the circulatory system does. The condition of the lymphatic system has an enormous impact on the immune system. The better the condition of the lymphatic system, the better the immune system is able to fight off disease and pathogen in the body.
Respiratory System: Improves lung capacity by relaxing any tension in the respiratory muscles. Reduce stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system due to slow dawn the rate of respiration. Increase circulation that helps the Oxygen take in is used more effectively.
Digestive System: Peristalsis in the large intestine is increased during a massage, helping to relieve constipation, colic and gas. It also promotes the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, which stimulates digestion.
Endocrine System: Helps to adjust to fewer abnormal functions to maintain hormone balance and smooth out mood fluctuations.
Holistic massage is an ancient discipline used to improve health and wellbeing by treating the mind, body and spirit as a harmonious union. Adverse effects on one also affect on the others, requiring treatment of the whole body. 
